This invention relates primarily to electronic video gaming devices, and more particularly to electronic video slot machines that display multiple pay lines. While the present invention has many variations, the basic principle common to all of the variations is that a first set of slot machine symbols are shown to the player and the player must then decide which of these first symbols to hold and which to discard. The symbols held by the player are duplicated into other active pay lines. Replacement symbols are then displayed for those symbols which were discarded to complete each pay line. The invention can also be applied to live casino table games as well.